That even goes for the many varieties of the Jim Thome rookie card that you can add to your collection.

But the good news is — well, you can probably afford just about all of those early Thome cards, including the rookies.

To help you with that quest, below is a quick rundown of Thome’s first card from each of the major brands on the market while he was making an early name for himself with the Cleveland Indians.

And, after you revel in the cheap glory of a young Thome, be sure to check out the rest of our posts on the 2018 Hall of Fame class here.

1991 Bowman Jim Thome (#68)

After a couple of years of fumbling around with oversized cards and an uncertain identity, Topps seemed to hit their stride with Bowman in 1991.

They would focus on … rookies!

Of course, the two — Bowman and rookie cards — are almost synonymous these days, but no one was quite sure how it would work out in 1991. Just like Thome’s career.

In the end, both Bowman and Thome did just fine, and their marriage on this 1991 rookie card seems just about perfect.

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1991 Upper Deck Final Edition Jim Thome (#17F)

By 1991, Upper Deck was well-established but starting to fight the sameness of their cards from year to year. Apparently even sustained greatness can get boring if it’s nearly identical each time out.

So, late that season, UD changed things up a bit by issuing a Final Edition in addition to their traditional low and high series.

So that was different.

And this Thome rookie card gets an additional splash of differentiation with the “Minor League Diamond Skills” shield.

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1992 Donruss Jim Thome (#406)

In 1992, all three old-school manufacturers — Donruss, Fleer, Topps — stepped up their games to try and compete with the premium offerings from Upper Deck.

For Donruss, that meant improved card stock, a cleaner design with more emphasis on photos and photo quality, and photos on card backs.

For Jim Thome, that meant a sharp Rated Rookie card where he looks young, agile, and athletic.

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1992 Fleer Jim Thome (#125)

The 1992 Fleer issue also showcased improved card stock and on-the-back photos, but the design was fairly heavy-handed.

Pretty much, you loved or hated the fadeout green borders and massive block lettering.

Even if you fall into the “hate” camp, you might be able to make an exception for Big Jim Thome, whose power is on full display on his first Fleer card.

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1992 Leaf Jim Thome (#299)

Two years after Leaf broke the hobby with their limited 1990 set that was jam-packed with big-name rookie cars like Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa, David Justice, and … um … Scott Coolbaugh, Donruss was struggling to keep the brand alive.

Emboldened by their inaugural success in 1990, Big D cranked up the presses in 1991 and pretty much choked the market.

As a consequence, the 1992 Leaf set was met with hardly any enthusiasm, but this skulking Thome rookie (first Leaf card, anyway) is still a worthy addition to any Hall of Fame collection.

As a bonus, each Leaf card came in a Gold parallel version that today sells for about the same prices as the base card.

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1992 O-Pee-Chee Jim Thome (#768)

This would be the last time that O-Pee-Chee cards exactly mimicked the year’s base Topps set, so if you love parallel Thome cardboard, 1992 OPC has to be part of your collection.

And this is a great shot of a smiling young future Hall of Famer waiting his turn in the batting cage — what’s not to love?

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1992 Pinnacle Jim Thome (#247)

Score jumped into the premium card market with their Pinnacle line in 1992.

Apparently big fans of the 1985 and 1987 Donruss sets, Score layered player photos inside of two black borders for their inaugural stab at Pinnacle.

As a result, the cards are pretty dark. Couple that with the standard overproduction of the era, and you have a set that doesn’t sell for all that much on the secondary market a quarter century later.

Still, this is Thome’s first Pinnacle card, for what that’s worth.

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1992 Score Jim Thome (#859)

Now, the 1992 Score baseball card set is not dark at all. In fact, it’s pretty light and colorful, even if in a cheap sort of way.

But, hey, it was issued in the heart of the Junk Wax Era, even if it came in those funny little plastic packs instead of real wax.

So what do you expect, anyway?

The good news about all of 1992 Score’s junkiness is that you can find Jim Thome’s first Score card — in the high number series, no less — for a song most days.

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1992 Stadium Club Jim Thome (#360)

The 1991 Topps Stadium Club issue represented the next step forward in super premium baseball cards and drove the hobby price scale all through that summer.

In 1992, though, Topps fell victim to the Leaf Syndrome, wherein one year’s breakout set engenders a huge increase in the next year’s production run …

… rendering that second set virtually worthless in the process.

The good news is that young Thome looks pretty good in this action shot on cardstock that’s about as thick as your standard knotty pine paneling.

Classic, cheap Junk Wax at its finest!

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1992 Topps Jim Thome (#768)

Sure, this first Topps Jim Thome card is pretty much identical to the O-Pee-Chee issue, but that Canadian cardboard only comes first on this list through a consequence of the English alphabet.

You know and I know that Topps always has been The Real One, so you can’t very well have a Jim Thome rookie card collection — or blog post — without a Topps card.

So here it is.

Besides, the 1992 Topps set was the first one with those creamy white borders for which collectors had long clamored, which almost makes up for its Junk Wax status.

And don’t forget those tasty Gold and Gold Winner parallels!

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(Check out the rest of our posts on the 2018 Hall of Fame class here.)

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No matter what makes you gasp when it comes to baseball cards — sheer volume, rarity, a sudden rush of memories — you’ll find it among these offerings.

Whatever their individual superpowers, though, these lots all have one thing in common — you’re going to want them!

Here are the droolworthy lots for June 8, 2018.

(Note that this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click over to eBay and buy something, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.)

Enough Rollie Fingers Rookie Cards to Lead the League in Saves

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When you think of mega lots or rookie card speculation, what comes to mind?

If you’re like most collectors, it’s modern stuff — junk wax cards and later. You know, like 100 Kurt Stillwell rookie cards from the 1986 Topps Traded set.

Certainly not vintage cards, however you might define that term.

And that’s what makes this lot of 1969 Topps Rollie Fingers cards stick out like a handlebar mustache on a 20th century Cincinnati Reds team.

Can there really be 50 Rollie Fingers rookie cards all in one place? I mean, who would do that?

Sure, Fingers is a legend in the game and one of the few relievers to win a League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season (1981).

And yes, Fingers is also one of the few relievers to have been elected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

But 50 is an awful lot of 50-year-old cards, especially if they’re in NM-MT condition, as this listing states.

The explanation is that they came from a vending case, but, man — still astounding.

Here is the eBay listing (affiliate link).

Near Complete Set of Perez-Steele Hall of Fame Art Postcards (1980-2001) PSA 9 & 10

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From 1980 through 2001, Dick Perez created original paintings to honor Hall of Fame inductees, and that art was reproduced on Perez-Steele postcards offered for sale to collectors and Cooperstown visitors.

In all, there were 275 different postcards produced, and this lot offers up 266 of them.

The kicker is that all of these cards have been graded by PSA, with 44 of them checking in at PSA 9 and a whopping 242 scoring perfect 10s.

Yowza!

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Baseball Digest – 44 Issues from 1964-1975

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OK, you got me … these aren’t technically baseball cards.

But everything you can do with a box of baseball cards, you can do with these beauties …

Devour stats? Read bios? Peruse photos? Flip the “cards”? Sort the “cards”? Trade the “cards”?

Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep.

And when was the last time you read fan mail on the back of a baseball card?

Or how about learning which eight players are at a career crossroads?

Or worked a baseball crossword puzzle?

Uh-huh. That’s what I thought.

If you’ve never curled up with a box of Baseball Digests and told the world to go away for the weekend, well, you’re missing out on one of the diamond world’s great guilty pleasures.

Consider this lot a chance to redeem yourself.

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Partial 1973 Topps High Numbers Uncut Sheet w/Mike Schmidt Rookie Card

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This one is a bit odd, yet still *ahem* oddly appealing.

When you first see the photos, you think they’ve been cropped, that you’re seeing only part of the picture.

But you’re not.

It’s the sheet itself that’s been cropped, down to 10″ x 14″, which translates to nine full cards plus 16 other partials.

Full cards include the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees team cards, but it’s the partials that are really intriguing.

At the bottom, you have the Gary Matthews rookie card.

And in the upper right-hand corner … the Mike Schmidt rookie card.

Oh yeah … the front of the sheet is blank, too.

So tantalizing, yet so flawed.

In the end, this is a curiosity, to be sure, but one that would still make a great display piece and give you something to talk about when you huddle up around the hot stove with your partial-sheet buddies next winter.

Here is the eBay listing (affiliate link).

Collection of 40,000 Baseball Cards

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Squint your eyes and take a peek in the mirror before you check out this lot.

If you’re balding, put on a ball cap. If you have wrinkles, lean forward on the sink and rest your face in your hands … you know, to pull out the crinkles a little.

Maybe dim the lights.

OK. Now, do you look young(er)? Could you believe it’s the 1980s or, maybe the 1990s?

Alright!

You should be primed for the maximum excitement afforded by this listing.

I mean, wasn’t this the kind of thing you dream of as a kid, or as a young adult? You’re out hitting garage sales and flea markets when you run into some dude selling his whole dang collection.

You finagle a deal and *bang* — your cardboard holdings double in a flash.

These cards look to be about that vintage, and they’re stacked in all sorts of interesting boxes, sheets, and tubs. Whether you think these bad boys are worth much today, you have to admit they’d be fun to tear into.

Here is the eBay listing (affiliate link).

—

Check out our other posts detailing baseball cards for sale here.

Growing up, my dad was just about the bravest, strongest, and hardest-working man I knew. I’m sure yours was the same, right?

But my dad could work 150 hours every week, come home and play ball with me every night, and then spend the weekends “fixing” his car and moving buffalo-sized boulders around our yard with his bare hands.

At least that’s the way it seemed.

He was also adventurous in his eating, willing and able to suck down noxious concoctions he whipped up on Saturday mornings using whatever spare parts we had in the kitchen cabinets. I can remember plenty of times being offered a “shake” that consisted of Karo Syrup, Jell-O, hot sauce, 10-year-old Nestle Quik, Tang, some unidentified yellow powder that lived in a rusty tin, and maybe a splash of milk.

Dad’s forte, though, was gum of all sorts, sizes, sources, textures … and ages. He always had a wad of gum in his mouth, and he was always jamming in a few more pieces of whatever was at hand.

Not only was Dad’s gastrointestinal fortitude amazing, I was able to use it to my advantage on at least one occasion.

Exotic Wax

It happened in (I think) 1985 during one of our regular trips to the huge monthly flea market held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. We had almost made our way through the whole show, and I had hit all my usual baseball card dealers. I may have scored a few cards, but nothing major.

We headed down the last aisle, where I knew there would be one last blast of cardboard delight, though I didn’t hold out much hope of nabbing anything there. The guy who ran that booth was a big player on the local sports card scene, and his prices reflected it.

He also sold comics, which just cluttered the place up, in my opinion.

But as I waded through the Spider-Man rags flapping in my face from an overhead line and the $50-and-up cards from the 1960s that would never be mine, I spied a strange looking box of unopened wax packs.

The box was orange-red and featured a garish painting of a pitcher delivering his goods. It was reminiscent of the box in which my Atari baseball game came packaged. The packs were red and featured a crouching catcher, ready for the pitch.

On the box, the dealer had taped a handwritten sign that told me what I needed to know: “1978 O-Pee-Chee — $3 per pack.”

By that point in my collecting career, I knew all about O-Pee-Chee cards thanks to Sports Collectors Digest and the yearly Beckett Price Guide, but I’d never actually seen one, let alone held one.

Now, $3 a pack doesn’t sound like a whole lot today, but in 1985 it was almost unheard of, especially considering each pack contained only 10 cards.

Since I hadn’t really scored anything else on our trip, though, it was pretty easy to convince Dad to pony up the three-spot.

Al Oliver Plays for Which Team?

It was a surreal feeling to walk away from that table with seven-year-old cards from Canada still wrapped tightly in their original packaging. It was like I was holding some long-lost treasure from a forsaken land.

That sense of awe didn’t stop me from cracking the pack, of course, but I took great care as thumbed through the meager stack.

The cards felt odd in my hands, and they looked even stranger. Although the design and photos were pretty much identical to the base 1978 Topps set, the O-Pee-Chees featured crisper cream-colored stock that made the backs much brighter. I also remember that the cards seemed harder than the usual mushy brown Topps stock.

For the most part, the pack was a bust in terms of player content, but the one card I clearly recall pulling was Al Oliver, #97. I know now that there are a couple of differences between this card and Oliver’s 1978 Topps card.

For one thing, Oliver sits at #430 in the Topps set.

For another, the script team name on the Topps card says “Pirates” to match the uniform he’s wearing on the card front. On the O-Pee-Chee card, Oliver is wearing that same Bucs uniform, but the team script says “Rangers.”

I didn’t really notice either of these nuances until much later. What I did notice was the block of text on the front of the O-Pee-Chee card that said, “NOW WITH THE TEXAS RANGERS AS OF 12-8-77.”

It was wild to think that O-Pee-Chee cards had been more current than Topps cards “back in the day,” but that’s what the evidence seemed to say.

No, Daddy Don’t Do It!

Meanwhile, my dad had noticed something, too.

“Is there gum in those cards?” he asked.

There was — it was a brittle-looking stick of orange glass, as far as I could tell. It smelled like gum, though, and there was some gum dust on the cards.

“Yeah, but it’s really old,” I told him.

“That’s OK. Are you going to chew it?”

“Um, no — it’s really old.”

“Give it to me, then.”

Both Mom and I protested, but Dad grabbed the nasty slab and jammed it in his mouth. He winced as the gum shattered in his mouth but then nodded his approval as the chicle grew moist and he got a sense of the flavor.

“That’s pretty good,” he said. “Orange gum!”

That was a pretty novel idea at the time, but I was too horrified to be envious.

“I can’t believe you’re chewing seven-year-old gum!” I said.

“It’s fine,” Dad assured me.

We kept walking, Mom and I shaking our heads. Before we got to the end of the aisle, Dad stopped.

“Did they have anymore of those cards?” he asked.

“Yeah, a whole box full,” I said.

Dad pulled out his wallet and fished out three one-dollar bills.

“Why don’t you go ahead and get another one. You can’t go home with just 10 cards, can you?”

I was thrilled as I booked it back to the dealer’s table, but I wasn’t fooled. Dad just wanted more of that orange gum, a suspicion confirmed when he popped the second piece into his mouth on our way out to the car.

I have no idea what came from that second pack, but I do still have my 1978 O-Pee-Chee Al Oliver card.

And I’ll bet Dad still has chunks of that O-Pee-Chee gum stuck in his teeth, whether he’ll admit it or not.

Last year’s baseball cards, duly sorted and stashed away in a shoebox under your bed, become a treasure trove for the future when formerly unknown young players step into the spotlight. In the summer of 1984, the upstart Chicago Cubs forced their way into the Major League sunshine and sent collectors scurrying to dust off stashes of 1983 pasteboards in search of hidden gems, led prominently by the Ryne Sandberg rookie card.

The early 1980s had been unkind to Chicago fans, as so many seasons are, but it didn’t take long to figure out that the 1984 rendition of the Cubbies might be special. While the Detriot Tigers were streaking to unprecedented early-season success, the Cubs quietly put together a 12-8 record in April and never really faltered.

Although the young New York Mets looked like they might upset Chicago’s run to a division title, the Cubs ultimately bested Darryl Strawberry and company by 6 1/2 games. And, though they lost the NLCS to Tony Gwynn and the San Diego Padres, the Cubs were darlings for a summer.

While many players contributed to that success, it was Sandberg who captured collector’s imaginations and ultimately took home the National League MVP award.

Even though he was still young at 24, Sandberg definitely qualified as a “hidden gem.” With two full seasons on the North Side under his belt, Ryno had yet to crack a .300 average or 10 home runs in a season and looked to be developing into a dependable, decent-hitting middle infielder with plenty of speed.

Instead, he turned on the jets in 1984 and stepped squarely onto the “superstar” platform, gaining an instant nationwide fan base and forcing hobbyists to drag out their 1983 castoffs for one more pass.

Here is a rundown of the Ryne Sandberg rookie cards that rose to prominence right along Sandberg himself during that magical summer. Holy Cow!

1983 Donruss Ryne Sandberg (#277)

For their third set, Donruss dusted off their own 1982 cards, replaced the baseball with a baseball glove, and polished up their typefaces and other design elements just a smidge. Add in brighter, clearer images, and the 1983 Donruss offering was a solid (if unspectacular) addition to the annals of cardboard collectibles.

While the set didn’t immediately seem to be bursting with big-name rookies, Wade Boggs’ batting title in ’83 gave the issue a shot in the arm by season’s end. Gwynn’s and Sandberg’s emergence the next summer ensured that collectors would be busting ’83 Donruss wax packs for years to come.

These days, you can pick up Sandberg’s Donruss rookie for under $5 in decent ungraded condition, and even a MINT slabbed version will set you back less than $20.

1983 Fleer Ryne Sandberg (#507)

After a decade of legal wrangling and two fairly lackluster issues once they finally won their case, Fleer was ready to step up its game in 1983.

Gone were the depressing photos and bland, generic design elements that marked their 1981 and 1982 sets, replaced by gray-beige borders, team branding, and photos on the backs of cards.

Like Donruss, Fleer saw some in-season action for their ’83s on the secondary market thanks to Boggs’ exploits, but they really began to draw attention in 1983.

A big part of that, of course, was due to Sandberg, shown bursting from the batter’s box on card #507.

His Fleer rookie is just as reasonably priced today than the Donruss version, with raw versions checking in under $5 and GEM MT copies available for under $50.

1983 Topps Ryne Sandberg (#83)

Despite the strides made by their competition in 1983, Topps remained the clear brand of choice that year.

In fact, with markedly better photo quality than they had enjoyed in years and an elegant two-photo front design, the 1983 Topps set is one of the classic “looks” that has continued to attract collectors over the years.

It’s not surprising, then, that the Sandberg rookie outpaced its white-stocked counterparts for much of the last 30 years in terms of both demand and price.

Today, though, the cards are on much more even footing, as you can find Sandberg’s Topps rookie for less than five bucks raw and for around $30 in graded MINT condition.

Number 83 is somewhat condition-sensitive, though, and you can expect to pay $300 or more for a slabbed GEM MT copy.

As was the case through most of the hobby’s glory years, the 1983 Topps set was paralleled by an O-Pee-Chee offering in Canada. Though the OPC set contained only 396 cards, they managed to hit two of the big three in Gwynn, and Sandberg (no Boggs).

And, despite featuring cleaner white stock and being more scarce than the corresponding Topps issue, the 1983 O-Pee-Chee Sandberg can be yours for less than $5 raw and around $30 when graded in MINT condition.

1983 Topps Stickers Ryne Sandberg (#328)

Throughout the 1980s, Topps supplemented their base offering with a sticker set featuring “cards” that allowed collectors to separate the front from the back and affix their favorite players to the appropriate page in an accompanying album.

Of course, you could also affix the stickers to television sets, lunch boxes, your sister’s hair, or your mom’s mirror, depending on how ornery and brave you felt in the moment.

All these options didn’t do much for the condition of your typical Topps sticker, and neither did the flimsy paper packs, which encouraged ripping that was not necessarily limited to the packaging itself — the contents often bore the brunt of overzealous opening techniques, too.

Nevertheless, a goodly number of single stickers have survived through the decades, and you can pick up Ryne Sandberg’s “rookie sticker” for just a few dollars. Even if you want a GEM MT slabbed copy, you should be able to satisfy your yearn for around $30.

1983 Topps Reggie Smith (#282)

Reggie Smith was a fine player who crafted a 17-year career during which he smashed more than 300 home runs among his 2000+ hits.

But for as good as he was, Smith’s baseball cards never garnered much attention.

Well, not until astute collectors noticed a familiar-looking lad hurrying back to first base on the front of Smith’s 1983 Topps pasteboard, that is.

That slender figure trying to avoid a running gaffe was none other than Ryne Sandberg, and card #282 has become a kind of add-on, de facto Ryno rookie card.

Prices range from about a buck for ungraded copies to double digits for high-grade slabbed copies.

As with the real Topps Sandberg rookie, the Smith/Sandberg combo also exists in a parallel O-Pee-Chee version. It would theoretically sell around the same price points but is seldom offered for individual purchase.

Who’s Next?

Some years, impact youngsters show their promise from the very beginning and hobbyists gobble up those rookie cards as soon as they’re issued.

Every once in awhile, though, a guy needs a couple og seasons to adjust to the Big Leagues and for his team to gel around him. When that happens , those cards that you stashed away in a dark corner may start to heat up even if you aren’t paying attention.

They’ll be waiting for you, though.

There are few things more exciting as a collector than sifting through a stack of cards you’ve been through a thousand times before and suddenly uncovering a gem.

In the summer of 1984, the Chicago Cubs and their young second baseman ignited a dust storm across the North American continent as we furiously shuffled through our forgotten 1983s in search of a prized Ryne Sandberg rookie card.

(Check out our other player card posts here.)

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Even today, more than 30 years later, children of the era wake up streaked in sweat and haunted by the horrific dreams of the 1984 Topps Traded monstrosity (#103) that cleared the way for similar atrocities in the 1984 Fleer Update, 1985 Donruss, and 1985 Fleer sets.

And the most tragic part of the whole story is that it might have been avoided with just a bit of extra effort on the part of The Old Gum Company — Topps, for the younger set — or the Reds and the Expos

But We Didn’t Win, and You’re (Almost) 43

The problem really started when Cal Ripken, Jr., climbed the ladder to stab Garry Maddox’s liner for the last out in the 1983 World Series.

Had that “Wheeze Kids” Philadelphia Phillies team been able to come back and snatch the title from the Baltimore Orioles, the Phils likely would have been less inclined to part ways with the legendary geezer who helped them to another championship.

Heading home that fall without a trophy, though, the Phillies were stuck with the reality that they hadn’t been quite good enough in ’83 to win it all and that their starting first baseman would be 43 for most of 1984. They duly told free agent Pete that he was welcome to come back to the team, though at a reduced salary and with a diminished role.

Of course, Charlie Hubris was closing in on Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record, so he politely told the Philly brass to shove their paltry contract up the Phanatic’s nose, and he hit the open market.

Predictably, suitors did not pound down Rose’s door that winter, and he found himself teamless as January rounded third toward the groundhog. So, when the Montreal Expos came calling with some money and the promise of at least semi-regular playing time, Pete was obliged to embrace the Great White North.

“I’ve always considered myself something of an expositionist,” Rose told reporters at the time. Or something similarly complimentary to his new employers.

Cartes de Baseball?

Even today, when companies are expected to make changes to their lineup as quickly as Major League teams do, there is little chance that Topps could doctor up a card of a player who signs with a new team in January in time for the start of the card year in February. So collectors weren’t too surprised to find, way back before the L.A. Olympics, that Rose appeared in our wax packs that spring wearing his customary Phillies burgundy rather than his new red, white, and blue Montreal togs.

But this is the future — or is it the past? — and Topps issues its cards in series. If that had been the case in 1984, Series 2 might well have revealed Rose’s new look.

Those were the days of huge sets issued all at once, though, and so we were forced to wait until the year-end Topps Traded set to hold a piece of cardboard depicting Pete’s face under the indecipherable Expos logo.

Even that idea had problems, though.

Wait, Traded Where?

Throughout the spring and into the summer, while the Detroit Tigers threatened to win every game and Tony Gwynn eyed .400, occasional grainy newspaper photos and “wait-what?” TV highlights documented Rose’s adventures north of the border.

It wasn’t all that pretty.

While Pete found his way into the lineup most days, he was struggling to keep his average above .250. And watching him slash at pitches in his pale blue Expos uniform was painful for Reds’ and Phillies’ fans accustomed to more sanguine attire for Charlie Hustle.

If you saw him in isolation, you might have thought he was playing for the local pizzeria’s softball team rather than a Big League club.

At the same time, Rose’s original team, the Cincinnati Reds, were mired in a three-year nosedive the likes of which Riverfront faithful had not witnessed in decades.  Predictably, then, an idea started swirling among the fan base — what if the Reds brought Pete back to Cincinnati?

And then, apparently, the idea took hold in Cincy’s front office, and Montreal was receptive, too. The Expos, after all were headed for a fifth-place finish of their own, and Rose wasn’t doing much to contribute.

The teams tested the waters on July 26, when the Reds sent Dan Driessen to Montreal for Jim Jefferson and Andy McGaffigan. That move, incidentally, freed up a spot at first for Cincinnati and had fans’ mouths watering.

On August 16, with the buzz snapping between Cincinnati and every baseball outpost in the land, the Reds made the deal that told the true story about Pete’s value in Montreal: Tom Lawless for Pete Rose.

It didn’t matter, though, because Peter Edward Rose was coming home, and he was going to be both a player AND the manager.  He was also going to break Ty Cobb’s record on the Riverfront.

The only questions left were, how soon would Rose lead the Reds to the World Series and how long would it be before we had new baseball cards showing Pete in his Reds uniform again.

Sutcliffe Is a Cub, So …

Starting in 1981, Topps had issued a yearly “Traded” set that included the season’s top rookies and players who had moved to new teams too late to be included in the base set with their updated uniforms.

By the time Rose found his way back to the Reds in August, the Chicago Cubs were the darlings of the National League, thanks to upstart second baseman Ryne Sandberg and mid-season acquisition Rick Sutcliffe. Winning game after game since coming to the Windy City from Cleveland in June, Sutcliffe established himself as the favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award despite starting the year in the American League.

The two most anticipated cards for the year-end sets, then, and aside from the rookie card of Dwight Gooden, were Sutcliffe in Cubbies pinstripes and Pete in Cincinnati red.

Apparently, however the deadline for Topps to include player updates in their traded sets during those years fell somewhere between June 13 and August 16, because Sutcliffe made the cut, but Rose did not.

So when collectors flocked to card shows that fall and excitedly plunked down our 10 bucks for the 132-card boxed sets, our anticipation turned to horror as we thumbed past Gooden at #42T and landed on Pete at #103T.

There he was, in all his glory, slashing at an unseen baseball and leaning forward ready to sprint out of the batter’s box — in his Expos pajamas.

At that point, the man was a living legend, not the most lovable of baseball characters, but admired by millions and still five years from the scandal that would wreck his chance at immortality. Couldn’t Topps have made a special effort for him? Couldn’t they have whipped out their magic airbrush? Couldn’t they have replaced the block “EXPOS” with “REDS”?

Couldn’t they, for the love of God, country, and baseball,  just have omitted Rose from the set entirely?

Apparently they couldn’t or wouldn’t do any of that. Instead, they opened the floodgate for ugly Rose cards that commemorated his 95 games with the Expos.

Awash in Red

Topps donned their Rose-colored glasses in 1985, issuing three Rose cards depicting him only with the Reds — a record-breaker (#6), a normal player-manager card (#600), and a standalone manager card. They never looked back from there, peppering Rose Reds cards all over their 1986 set.

Meanwhile, Fleer followed Topps’ 1984 lead, posting Rose in his Montreal uniform in their first-ever Update set (#U-102) and then giving him a special “4000th Hit” card (#640) in 1985, an Expos nod to go along with his Reds base issue (#550).

Donruss didn’t have a year-end set in 1984, but they saw fit to include a special Expos pasteboard (#254) in its 1985 set that commemorated “the final stop of his journey home to Cincinnati.”

The decades have blurred some of the initial shock of seeing Rose in a strange uniform, but the dissonance still rings across the years. Was Pete really an Expo?

We might have been able to deny those dark months were it not for the Topps Traded card that documented the incident for the world to remember.

If only the Reds and Expos had come together in June, or if only Topps had exercised some editorial discretion, maybe every Pete Rose baseball card would be awash in red, as the wax pack gods always intended.

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